Brother's Keeper
by BonnieD
Summary: Ryan’s brother is released and causes problems in Ry’s new life.
1. Default Chapter

"Brother's Keeper" by BonnieD  
  
Synopsis: Ryan's brother is released and causes problems in Ry's new life.  
  
All right, now I've seen the promos for next week and it looks like my Return of Trey is gonna be scooped and in a totally different way. I need to post quickly to get my version in first. Also, I thought Ryan would be less self-assured in his relationship with Marissa so The Perfect Couple took me by surprise. I honestly thought he would be amazed and overwhelmed when she acknowledged him in public. Guess he's not as down-trodden as I thought.  
  
Side note: My nephew is a true computer geek, not a faux nerd like Seth, and sometimes attends LAN parties with friends. For those not in the know, that means a long evening or even overnight of computer gaming.  
  
*******  
  
"So then Anna said, 'Let's start with the heart' and gave Summer a smackdown glare. It was awesome!" Seth prattled on. "I don't know if 'the plan' to make Summer jealous is working or not, but at the very least I should get to see a catfight one of these days soon. Mmm, Summer and Anna hair-pulling and bitch-slapping in the science lab, it's my sweetest dream come true."  
  
"Hm," Ryan made a non-committal grunt and started to reread the paragraph about polynomials for the fourth time.  
  
"I hope I delivered all right on The Kiss," Seth became pensive. "I mean Anna sorta took me by surprise and I hope I didn't look awkward or something. I don't want Summer to think I'm not capable or ... what?" He caught Ryan's look.  
  
"Homework." Ryan nodded toward the book in his hands. "Kind of a prerequisite for not flunking out of school."  
  
"Right. Right. Sorry." Seth sat fidgeting, tapping his pencil against his notebook for another moment, then jumped up. "Look. I'm going for a snack. Want anything?"  
  
"No...Yeah. I'll take a Coke. I'm gonna need the caffeine to get me through all this." He gestured at the haphazard pile of textbooks and papers piled on the table.  
  
In a moment Seth jittered away, the poolhouse was blessedly quiet and Ryan turned his attention back to studying. At least his eyes were on the page. His mind, free of Seth-distraction, was focused on his own special night at the carnival. Smiling slightly, he relived the precious moments trapped at the top of the Ferris wheel, first nauseous and sweaty then suddenly with an armful of Marissa. Not to mention a mouthful. He wasn't sure if it was the kiss or the fear of heights that had made him feel so lightheaded and surreal.  
  
The door opened and Ryan started from his memory as if caught with his pants down.  
  
"That didn't take lo...." his words trailed off as his gaze rose to the figure standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hey, little bro'. Nice setup you got here." Trey smiled, toothily as a shark, and Ryan's stomach flopped like a beached fish.  
  
********Break to opening credits*********  
  
Trey moved into the room and closed the door behind him. Ryan rose and stood on guard, his heart ridiculously hammering in his chest. This was his own brother. Why the hell did he feel so nervous?  
  
"When did you get out?" he finally managed to push past his tight throat. 'And how?' his mind added.  
  
"Last week." Trey said succinctly, as he wandered around the room eyeing the contents. "Overcrowding. They had to let some of the animals go." He laughed dryly. "I went home and found the family had kinda split."  
  
"How'd you find me?" Ryan asked.  
  
" 'Find you'? Were you hiding?" Trey turned and fixed him with a cool gaze. He hefted a small, carved statue in one hand as if weighing its value.  
  
Ryan's eyes slid away from his brother's steady stare. "I just meant.... I mean, did you see mom or....How did you know where I was?"  
  
"It's a small world, bud. Word gets around," was the only answer he received.  
  
"You...ah...got a place to stay?"  
  
"Well, not as nice as this, but yeah," Trey laughed again. "Gerardi's couch for now."  
  
Ryan nodded and shuffled his feet a little. "Good."  
  
"So..." Trey drew the word out with a sibilant hiss. "You want to tell me how you got dragged through shit and winded up smelling like roses?"  
  
"My lawyer - the one they gave me - helped me. Uh. The Cohens are my legal guardians now."  
  
"Nice." It was Trey's turn to nod. He grinned. "You're one lucky little son-of-a-bitch aren't you?"  
  
"Guess so," Ryan curtly said. "Look. Is there something you want or...cause I have things to do."  
  
"Naw, nothing in particular. Just checking in to make sure my kid brother's being treated right. These rich folks don't have you mucking out their horse stalls or cleaning their pool? Free labor?"  
  
Ryan skewered him with an icy glare. "I'm fine. Thanks. You can go now."  
  
"All right then." Trey clapped his hands together. "My work here is done." He turned toward the door but shot a look over his shoulder. "For now. I'll be seeing you soon."  
  
As he watched his brother's back retreat through the door, Ryan wondered why that sounded so fucking ominous.  
  
*********  
  
"Hi!" Ryan felt warm arms slip around his waist and lips brush the side of his jaw. He fumbled the book he was trying to cram into his locker and turned to look over his shoulder into Marissa's wide eyes.  
  
"Hey," he replied, reduced to monosyllables by her presence. "I...uh...."  
  
"I know. I missed you too," she said, moving around so they were face to face and leaning in for a kiss.  
  
Ryan was practically incapacitated by the idea of her not only kissing him but doing it in front of the whole school. Somehow he had imagined that if they ever did get together she would keep him like some dirty little secret, sneaking to meet him at her discretion. This was beyond anything he would have dreamed.  
  
His mind may have had trouble wrapping around it, but his body knew what to do. Soon his hands were traveling up her back and before he knew it he had her pressed against the bank of lockers, tongue teasing between her lips.  
  
Time stopped and hallway noise receded as they wrapped themselves in their own little bubble of reality. Ryan finally pulled back, eyes flickering open to see Marissa returning his look, equally breathless and amazed. He rested his forehead against hers and his eyes swept down, regarding those imminently kissable lips. He had just decided to go in for round two when a hand banged on the locker next to where they leaned.  
  
"Break it up. Get to class," the voice of authority ordered, and the couple sprang apart suddenly aware that the halls were almost empty and the bell about to ring.  
  
Marissa blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear as the vice-principal glowered. Ryan scrambled to pick up the book he'd dropped and pull from his locker what he needed for the next class.  
  
"Move along, Miss Cooper," the man demanded as she still lingered.  
  
"See you after class," Marissa said, smiling at Ryan then turning to leave with a flip of her hair and a swish of her very short skirt. For just a second both Ryan and the vice-principal were transfixed by the sight of her long legs and swaying hemline, then they snapped out of it, exchanging a lightning quick glance before returning to their respective jobs of juggling textbooks and patrolling hallways.  
  
**********  
  
"Come on, Ryan, you should go with," Seth pleaded repetitively. "It'll be fun. All work and no play ... you know the rest. And it's not like Marissa will be stopping by later to give you a study break. You got nothing to look forward to on a Friday night but this..." he picked up a spiral notebook, "this..." he gestured at a textbook, "and more of this..." He nudged Ryan's backpack with his foot.  
  
Ryan briefly considered going just to shut Seth up. Somehow it always seemed easier to fall in line with Seth's plans than to struggle. And it was true that Marissa was on a girls' night out with her mom and sister trying to mend fences so it's not like he would see her tonight.  
  
A horn honked from the driveway and Seth looked up then, raising an eyebrow, back at Ryan. "Ride's here, man. What's it gonna be?"  
  
Ryan thought of Anna, sitting behind the steering wheel, impatiently waiting for what she probably hoped would be a 'date' with Seth, and realized his presence would put a damper on her plan. "Naw. Go on ahead," he replied. "Kick some ass for me."  
  
"Okay." Seth shrugged. "Later." He hurried off to the LAN party with his gal buddy.  
  
Settling back against the pillows, Ryan gazed blankly at the computer screen of his laptop, yet another expensive gift from the Cohens. He thought of all he owed them and wished there was something he could do to repay their charity. And he knew that it was charity, despite their assurance that he was part of the family now.  
  
He listened to the silence in the pool house. No traffic noise, no shouting neighbors or loud music from the house next door. It was a planet away from Chino and he was amazed at how quickly he had adapted to this world ... and to having an annoying but amusing 'brother' around. Already the evening was way too quiet without Seth's steady patter.  
  
He sighed, snapped the computer shut and slid it off his lap. Despite his best intentions to catch up on all he'd missed during11 years in the public school system and to make his mark at the Harbor School, he really didn't feel like studying on a Friday evening. Of course, he also didn't feel like computer gaming with Seth and assorted nerds. What he did feel like was having Marissa in bed next to him right now! Since that wasn't likely to happen, he decided to raid the Cohen's fridge and make a huge, unhealthy snack to keep him company.  
  
He got up and padded barefoot toward the big house.  
  
As he walked past the pool, he heard something moving in the bushes off to his right. He froze and listened, wondering if it was a neighbor's dog running loose, which didn't seem likely in this neighborhood. The scent of burning tobacco reached him.  
  
"Hello?" he called quietly, moving toward the source. He suddenly knew with certainty who it was. "Trey?"  
  
"Yeah." Again his brother appeared unbidden and unwanted, walking out from the shrubs as nonchalantly as he could given the fact that he'd been lurking like a stalker.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"Just stopped by to see you again, but I thought I'd wait 'til your friend took off."  
  
"Well ... he's off," Ryan stated the obvious. "Visit, huh? Twice in one week. That's...." he trailed off with no clue how to finish the thought.  
  
"Look, I didn't come here to cause you trouble," Trey began.  
  
"No. Cause you never get me into trouble."  
  
"But I, uh, could ... use some help," he continued.  
  
"How much?" Ryan asked. "I got forty bucks in my wallet. That's it."  
  
"That'd be a start. How about some food, too? I haven't eaten yet today."  
  
Ryan sighed and looked away. "Fine. Come on." He led the way to the house, regretting it with each step he took.  
  
To be continued....  
  
(This is my first fic in The OC genre. Should be short. Only two or three parts, since the show keeps changing every week and messing with my plan.) 


	2. 2

"Brother's Keeper", chapter 2  
  
Thanks for all feedback on chapter 1. It's still weird to be writing anything other than Buffyfic, but I think I'm getting used to it. The story of Ryan and brother, Trey, continues.  
  
Ryan's appetite was gone so he made a huge sandwich for Trey and then leaned against the counter watching him devour it.  
  
"So, you going to some kinda prep school now?" his brother sneered. "Got a blazer and pleated skirt?"  
  
"Harbor School," Ryan answered shortly. "It's... No, there's no uniform."  
  
"Huh," Trey grunted. "Hard?"  
  
"There's a lot of work, but no, not too hard," he answered.  
  
"Well, you always were 'the smart one' like mom said." Trey downed a can of soda in three gulps.  
  
Ryan shrugged and looked away. Awkward silence filled the kitchen. Finally Ryan cleared his throat and asked the question that was on his mind.  
  
"You have a court date set?"  
  
"Yeah. I think it's next week sometime."  
  
Ryan flashed him an alarmed look. "You don't know? Look, Trey, you can't just forget to show up. You're in big trouble and ignoring it will make it ten times worse. Did they appoint you a lawyer? A lot of those public defenders suck. Maybe I can talk to Mr. Cohen. He really knows what he's doing. Maybe he can help you...."  
  
"Actually, I thought I might be out of town by next week," Trey interrupted. "Thought it might be time for a little vacation to Mexico."  
  
Ryan opened then closed his mouth, amazed at his brother's monumental stupidity and amazed at himself for being surprised by it. Twenty years' worth of incidents proved that if there was a wrong path to take, Trey would walk it.  
  
"Man, you can't...." He stopped and tried a different tack. "They'll find you eventually, you know."  
  
"You think?" Trey grinned. "You think the police got nothing better to do than track me down? I stole a car for chrissakes, Ryan, I didn't kill somebody or knock over a store. I'm not even a blip on the radar, bud."  
  
Ryan fell silent. He'd learned long ago and the hard, fist-in-the-gut way that arguing with his brother was futile. Trey would do whatever he wanted, regardless of sense or morality or whoever he might hurt.  
  
"Well ... good luck," he finally muttered.  
  
"I could use a little travel money, though," Trey forged on. "I mean, forty bucks, that's good and all, but I'm gonna need mucho mas dinero to live on for a while in Mexico."  
  
"But forty is all I've got," Ryan replied firmly, an uneasy suspicion beginning to tickle the back of his brain.  
  
Trey looked around the kitchen, then turned in his seat and scanned the rest of the house.  
  
"This is a big place," he commented blandly. "There's gotta be a couple of things that wouldn't be missed...."  
  
"No!" Ryan cut him off. He pushed away from the counter and took a step forward, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. He removed some bills and cast them on the table. "This is what I have. This is what you get."  
  
Trey looked at the money and shook his head. "That's not gonna cut it." He stood up from the chair. "Come on, Ry, I'm in deep shit here. With my priors I could get locked up for a long time." He turned entreating eyes on Ryan. "I'm not asking you to do anything that could fuck you up. Just show me the code for the security and I'll come back another day - you don't even have to know which one. You'll be able to say you don't know anything about it."  
  
Ryan, shaking his head, moved toward him. "Not gonna happen." He drew himself up, trying to look taller and maybe a little menacing. "You're leaving now."  
  
Trey nodded, "Yeah. I had a feeling you'd say that." Lightning quick his hand flew out and punched Ryan in the jaw, rocking him back on his feet. Not giving him time to recover, Trey grabbed and swung him around, pinning him against the counter, drawing Ryan's right arm painfully up his back.  
  
"So I got a back up plan," he hissed in his ear. "Sorry." He drove Ryan's forehead into the counter with a sharp crack.  
  
Ryan only had time to think, "Oh fuck," before he passed out.  
  
*************  
  
"Oh god! Sandy, call 911," Ryan heard a frantic, high-pitched voice mingled with the ringing in his head. He groaned and tried to turn over but it made the room spin even faster so he stopped.  
  
"He's alive," a deeper voice was saying somewhere off to his left. Something warm wrapped around his wrist. ".a pulse."  
  
His head was splitting. Ryan had no doubt that in about a second it would crack wide open and one of the toothy spawn of Alien would burst out.  
  
".on their way . so much blood ."  
  
"Sshh," the deep voice soothed and added something about needing a towel. All Ryan could think was that someone had dripped pool water all over the kitchen floor again - probably Seth - he was careless like that.  
  
He drifted off for a time, still vaguely aware of the jabbering voices, which seemed to have turned into a whole crowd of people. Then there were hands moving him and an insistent voice trying to get his attention.  
  
"What's his name? Ryan?"  
  
He wished everyone would be quiet so he could go back to sleep.  
  
"Ryan. Can you hear me?"  
  
"Shutup," he mumbled.  
  
"Yeah. He's conscious."  
  
"Blood pressure's.."  
  
They were lifting him now and laying him on something very like his cheap futon at home, only they were strapping him to it and he didn't like that. His eyes flickered open for a moment. He had to see what was going on. A couple of strangers loomed over him, but right behind them was Sandy's worried face. He wanted to laugh. Seth was right, the brows really did look like caterpillars.  
  
"Hey," Sandy said, giving him a reassuring smile. Ryan tried to smile back and managed a kind of grimace.  
  
"Let me ride in the ambulance with him," he heard Kristen, out of his line of sight, insisting. "He's going to be disoriented if he regains consciousness. He needs a familiar face."  
  
"Honey," Sandy voice drew her over. "He's awake."  
  
Then there was Kristen, face blotchy, eyes puffy, flustering over him with motherly concern. She seized his hand and held it while the paramedics lifted and transported him to the ambulance.  
  
"You're all right now. Everything's all right," she crooned in a repetitive mantra.  
  
Then the cylinders started clicking in Ryan's head, he remembered what had led up to him lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, and he knew that it really wasn't going to be all right. Not at all.  
  
******** "I told you, I got up from my chair to get . something else to eat. Thought I heard something behind me but before I could turn whoever it was grabbed me and shoved my face into the counter." Ryan repeated the story for the third time, working to maintain eye contact with the cop.  
  
"And you didn't hear anything prior to that? No noises from the other room or."  
  
"No. I guess I was still thinking about my homework," Ryan extemporized. "If there were any sounds, I didn't hear 'em."  
  
The cop looked down at his notes then back to Ryan's face. He nodded slowly. "All right then." He stood up and reached out to shake his hand. "Uh, I may have further questions later, but I guess we're done for now." He gave Ryan's hand a firm squeeze.  
  
The cop shook hands with both the Cohens as well. Ryan watched him out the door then turned to Sandy.  
  
"Can we go now?"  
  
"They're keeping you overnight. You had a concussion and they want to make sure.."  
  
"No. Please," Ryan begged. "I just . I need to go.." He couldn't say home. It wasn't his home after all. He had only deluded himself into thinking it was for a while. "I'm okay. Really," he continued.  
  
"I'll see what I can do," Kirsten answered quietly, leaving the room.  
  
Sandy was actually quiet as they waited, so Ryan knew something was up. Finally he spoke.  
  
"Ryan, if there's anything else you want to tell me about what happened, it won't go any farther than this room."  
  
Ryan stonewalled. He couldn't bring himself to lie and say everything had been exactly as he'd told the cop, so he didn't say anything at all.  
  
Sandy waited a little bit then continued. "You know, everything that was taken can be replaced. Nothing that really mattered to us was stolen. But you ... You could have been really hurt, maybe even...."  
  
He paused, took a breath and went on. "Anyway, whoever did this to you ... doesn't deserve to be protected." He fixed Ryan with a steady stare that burned like hot coals. "You know that," he affirmed.  
  
Ryan swallowed dryly and gave a little shrug.  
  
"All right then," Sandy swept on, breaking his gaze. "I'm sure you'll let me know if you remember anything later." He patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Just get some rest now and we'll bust you outta here soon. Kirsten never takes 'no' for an answer."  
  
To be continued.... 


	3. 3

"Brother's Keeper" chapter 3  
  
This is the last part of my mini-story about Trey. We'll see how he's portrayed tonight, eh?  
  
**********  
  
Lying in bed wishing he were dead, Ryan watched the block of sunlight from the window slowly inching across the floor. He wondered what time it was and considered looking at his bedside clock but that would entail turning his head, not a move he was prepared to make. He slowly closed his eyes and opened them again as far as possible in their puffy sockets. It's not like he'd never had a black eye before, but never two at once. He hoped his whole face wasn't as badly swollen as it felt.  
  
A shadow passed over his patch of sunshine then a quiet knock at the door broke the silence. He debated not answering, pretending to be asleep for a while longer, but the decision was moot when Seth, bearing a tray, barged through the door. Their eyes met and it was too late to play 'possum.  
  
"God! You should see yourself!" Seth started in, setting the tray on the table. "I wish I'd been here. Not that I would've been any help whatsoever, but maybe two of us would've made the guy think twice before.... You know, he had to be watching you, because he saw that the house wasn't locked and followed you in, right? So, I'm wondering why the guy didn't just wait until you'd gone back outside. I mean, that's pretty bold to rob a place when someone's home. And god, how creepy is it to know some stranger was in our house, touching our things. Freaks me right out." He gave a little melodramatic shiver.  
  
Ryan made an assenting noise.  
  
"You hungry? Thirsty? We've got chicken soup ... good for all illness and injuries large and small, a sandwich ... but you don't look ready to chew anything, and some nice, cold juice ... cranapple." Seth held up a glass with a flourish.  
  
"Yeah," Ryan croaked.  
  
Interpreting correctly, Seth inserted a straw into the juice glass, crouched down and awkwardly managed to serve it to the invalid without spilling.  
  
"Thanks," Ryan pulled back and Seth replaced the glass on the tray.  
  
"Man, you really do look like hell," he reiterated. "Does it hurt much?"  
  
Ryan shot him a look, but with all the bruising and swelling he didn't know if he'd got the point across.  
  
"Of course it does," Seth answered himself, having the grace to sound embarrassed. He paused a moment then said with uncharacteristic sincerity, "I'm glad you're all right. Coulda been a lot worse. The guy could've had a gun."  
  
Remaining silent, Ryan looked back at his square of sunlight and noticed it had moved another inch closer to the table.  
  
"And that's another thing that bugs me," Seth was off again. "Don't burglars always carry guns? The whole thing seems kinda off."  
  
Ryan stared grimly at the floor. Obviously from the conversation last night, Sandy already knew he was a liar but it seemed he hadn't said anything to the rest of the family. This was only going to get worse. He knew Seth would pry the truth out of him sooner or later. Ryan had always been incapable of delivering a lie with any authority at all.  
  
"I mean, the fact that you didn't hear...." Blessedly, Seth was interrupted by another knock at the door. It opened slowly and Marissa was silhouetted against the bright sunshine.  
  
"Hi," she practically whispered, poised tentatively on the threshold. "Kristen said it would be okay if I...." She moved into the room and closed the door behind her, eyes growing steadily larger as she saw the extent of Ryan's injuries. "Oh my god!"  
  
"That bad, huh?" he asked.  
  
"You're really lucky your nose isn't broken," Seth said encouragingly. He gave up his perch at the edge of the bed, making room for Marissa to fuss and hover over her damaged new boyfriend.  
  
"Your poor head," she moaned, lightly touching the bandage on his forehead and feathering her fingertips down the sides of his face. "Thank god, you're all right."  
  
Ryan looked up into her open, caring, loving face and wished his jaw had been broken and then wired shut so he wouldn't have to tell any more lies.  
  
"I hope they catch this guy and lock him up forever. Someone who would do this is no better than an animal!" Marissa was so furious it was kind of scary, like seeing Bambi go ballistic and attack the hunters.  
  
"Look, there's some soup and juice here if you want to play Florence Nightengale ... or Naughty Nurse Nancy," Seth told Marissa, "Anyway, I'll leave you guys alone." He started to leave then turned back. "Oh, also his painkillers are on the table if he needs them, but Marissa." he wagged an admonishing finger, "no sampling."  
  
"Shut up!" She cried and threw the extra pillow at him.  
  
Seth dodged it, then gave them a formal bow, palms together, "Sayonara!"  
  
After Seth left, Marissa resumed fluttering, smoothing back Ryan's hair and offering soup. He struggled to sit up and she was right there tucking pillows behind his back and rearranging the covers.  
  
Ryan sat for a moment, head pounding and spinning.  
  
"Can I get you anything different to drink?" she asked. "I mean, cranapple - yuck!"  
  
Ryan hesitated, embarrassed. "Actually, I kind of need to." he gestured toward the bathroom, "if you could help me stand up." He wished he'd thought to ask Seth before he left.  
  
"Of course," she said. Marissa helped him rise to his feet and supported him to the tiny bathroom then paused uncertainly at the door. "Are you going to be okay in there? You might faint or something."  
  
"I'm good," he assured, bracing himself on the wall with one hand and closing the door with the other. He peed, took a look in the mirror over the sink and realized that he'd been stupid to worry about having bed head in front of Marissa since his face looked like it had been run over by a truck. He felt a warm glow inside when he realized she didn't seem to mind his bedraggled appearance.  
  
When he was finished in the bathroom and settled back in bed again, Marissa insisted he try some soup before it got any colder. He obediently sucked down lukewarm broth and bits of noodle through the straw she held to his lips.  
  
"Thanks," he said when he'd reached the dregs.  
  
"Feel better?" she asked.  
  
He nodded.  
  
She offered him the sandwich, too, but he declined. Then she shook out a pair of caplets from the bottle and he gratefully took them. He lay back down and waited for them to kick in, while Marissa removed her shoes and stretched out beside him.  
  
"I wonder if they'll catch him," she mused, stroking his hair again, rubbing his shoulder, then leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "It's scary to know this creep is still running around out there."  
  
"Mm," he replied then closed his eyes and pretended to be falling asleep, which turned into the truth as he lay there listening to the quiet afternoon.  
  
"Did you bring your Sociology book home?" she asked, quietly. "I have some reading I should catch up on." He didn't answer and felt her weight shift away from him, as she went to check. In a moment or an hour, it was hard to tell which as his mind drifted on relaxing waves, she returned and settled next to him. He reached out until he felt her warm thigh under his hand then tethered himself to it as his head continued to float away.  
  
********  
  
Later in the day, showered, dressed and sitting at the dinner table with the Cohens, Ryan felt better and worse than he had earlier. Physically he was less achy. Kirsten had removed the bandage on his forehead, revealing a lovely set of stitches and he was able to breath better so the swelling around his nose must have gone down. Mentally he was jumpier than a cockroach on a griddle. Although none of the Cohens had asked any more questions, he had reached the point where he was completely unable to make eye contact with any of them.  
  
"Yes, it's a new-fangled thing called a 'plasma TV'," Seth laid on the sarcasm. "You might've heard of it. Come on, mom, step into the future. As long as we have to replace, let's get the best!"  
  
"I said, we'll discuss it later," Sandy cut firmly across his babble. "Drop it, Seth."  
  
"I'm calling the security company on Monday," Kirsten continued her own train of thought. "I just want them to check everything over...."  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it," Sandy grumped, tossing his napkin down and heading for the door.  
  
"At least tell me you'll upgrade my computer," Seth complained. "I had the old one for almost three years. Three years! Do you know what that is in computer life? Probably something like sixty-five! Retirement age. I need a...." he trailed off as Sandy reappeared with the same policeman who had questioned Ryan the previous night.  
  
"Seth, could you go to your room?" Sandy ordered quietly.  
  
Seth opened his mouth to argue, caught his father's look, and nodded, rising from the table. Before leaving the room, he cast a quick glance at Ryan, who stared doggedly down at his plate.  
  
"Officer Wendt has new information for us," Sandy told Kirsten. He directed the cop to a chair and then resumed his own seat.  
  
"A patrolman tried to pull over a van for speeding and got involved in a high speed chase that ended when the vehicle went off the road into a ditch. The driver and passenger were both arrested and the van searched. It was full of presumably stolen TVs, stereos, computers, jewelry ... basically all the things you listed as missing," he said succinctly.  
  
"That's great!" Kirsten enthused. Sandy remained silent and Ryan's heart pounded so hard he could barely hear the cop's next words.  
  
"Yes. Unfortunately we've got a little snag," he continued. "The suspects were booked and eventually the connection to my case was made and the information passed on to me. The passenger had a familiar last name ... Atwood." The officer let that hang in the air and Ryan could actually feel all the adults' eyes turn toward him, although he steadfastly refused to lift his own from watching his fork make patterns in his mashed potatoes.  
  
"Terence Allen Atwood," the cop added. "Any relation, son?" he asked Ryan almost kindly.  
  
Ryan's jaw tightened and he nodded once.  
  
"You want to alter the details of your statement?" the investigator pressed.  
  
Ryan opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound so he closed it again and swallowed hard.  
  
Sandy intercepted. "Are you arresting him," he asked the cop smoothly. "If not, I'd like a chance to speak with Ryan privately and we'll bring him down to the station in the morning to answer your questions. Is that acceptable?"  
  
The man hesitated then nodded. He stood and Sandy saw him to the door. The seconds ticked by and Ryan was very aware of Kirsten still watching him.  
  
"Your brother?" she asked. He nodded again, biting down on his lower lip to stop it trembling.  
  
"I'm sorry," he finally whispered no louder than a puff of air.  
  
"I know," she answered quietly.  
  
Sandy returned and lounged in the doorway for a moment, regarding him. "You wanna tell us what happened?"  
  
"I." Ryan cleared his throat and tried again. "Trey showed up, said he'd been released cause of overcrowding, and asked for some money. I gave him what I had and then got him something to eat. I didn't think he'd.. I'm sorry."  
  
"Why didn't you just tell us in the first place?" Sandy asked. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
Ryan frowned. "Yes I did. I brought him into your house. Should've known better. Besides." he hesitated. "I couldn't . couldn't tell. He's a huge asshole, but he's my brother."  
  
"I have a sister like that," Kirsten unexpectedly replied. Ryan shot a surprised look at her and saw she was smiling ruefully. "I spent half my life covering for her about one thing or another." She nodded at him, "Believe me, I understand. But, Ryan, eventually you've got to cut loose and stop enabling."  
  
"Especially when you're breaking the law," Sandy put in.  
  
"Am I, like, in trouble for aiding and abetting or something?" Ryan asked nervously.  
  
"More like impeding an investigation, but I wouldn't worry too much."  
  
"So." Drymouthed, Ryan asked the question that had been filling his mind since the beginning, "Am I going to . I mean, is it still cool for me to stay here?"  
  
"What? Of course!" Kirsten exclaimed. "Is that's what's been bothering you?"  
  
"Well, I kinda thought when you found out.." Ryan shrugged and let the thought hang.  
  
"Oh, sweetie, no," she said, covering his hand resting on the table with her own. "No. You don't have to go anywhere."  
  
"Listen," Sandy moved into the room and stood above Ryan fixing him with the Serious Eyes. "When we agreed to take you in, we did more than assume legal custody. I thought you understood that. You're not just hanging in our pool house on a whim. When Kirsten told you before that you're part of the family now, she spoke for all of us. And to us, family is forever - even if you're an old rat-bastard like Caleb."  
  
Kirsten shot him a glare then continued her own convincing. "Ryan, let's face it, we don't know you very well yet and you don't know us either, but we're getting there. We think you're a wonderful person and we.choose to have you here." She paused and added, "Just try to trust us, okay? Be a little more open?" She looked at him searchingly, gave his hand a final pat and withdrew her own.  
  
Ryan nodded dumbly, way too choked up to dare speak.  
  
"You look all worn out," Kirsten said, rising from her seat. "Why don't you go back to bed? I'll be out in a little while to check on you, okay?"  
  
"'Kay," he managed.  
  
"And I'll go intercept Seth before he comes out there and grills you," Sandy added. Catching Ryan's look of distress, he said, "Don't worry. He won't be pissed at you about lying. Seth's physically incapable of carrying a grudge." He squeezed Ryan's shoulder as he passed. "About the cops. Don't worry about that either. I'll make it okay."  
  
The thought ran through Ryan's head that it was nice to have a lawyer for a father-figure.  
  
As Ryan headed toward his room, or could a pool house be considered a 'suite'?, he felt light and buoyant. There was still Marissa to face and Seth would undoubtedly have plenty to say but at least the worst was over and he still had a home.  
  
He glanced back over his shoulder at the well-lit house. Kirsten was moving past the window and he saw Seth come bounding into the same room, talking, with Sandy right behind him, also talking. He smiled. A home - with family.  
  
The End 


End file.
